Foundations of Network Storage, Lesson Five: What's Next?

By Guest Contributor in Data Centers on August 22, 2005, 9:40 AM PST

In lesson 5 of 5, we'll delve into the future of storage technology.

Foundations of Network Storage: Lesson 5 of 5.

In this lesson, we will explore the storage technologies you can expect to see in the near future.

Looking ahead

Due to an increase in amount and types of information being created, as well as rules and regulations that require more and better retention of data, new storage technologies are quickly evolving. Existing tape and disk backup technologies are experiencing innovations that bring larger capacity and faster speed for storage. And every day, new technologies—such as magnetic RAM chips and holographic data storage—are starting to see the light of day as well.

While it is difficult to predict what the future holds in terms of storage, here are some of the most likely trends:

The cost of storage will continue to fall
Data storage needs will continue to grow
Data security and integrity will become more and more important as more people conduct online transactions
The types of data that need to be backed up will change. Where you now have spreadsheets, documents, and tables, you'll soon be seeing a need to store larger audio and video files.

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